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Clifton standoff ends with surrender of man, 38

A Mesa County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team member uses a megaphone Friday to order Brandon Ragsdale, 38, to leave an apartment at 3247 1/2 Main St. in Clifton during a standoff that lasted almost two hours.

A 38-year-old man was arrested Friday afternoon after barricading himself in a Clifton residence, forcing School District 51 to put one elementary school on alert and canceling bus routes in the area.

Brandon Ragsdale was arrested at 3:45 p.m. on parole warrants after holing up at 3247 1/2 Main St. in Clifton, and refusing to come out for several hours, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials learned Ragsdale was at the residence at about 1 p.m. and that he had weapons inside the apartment, so the Sheriff Office’s SWAT Team responded.

The threat and the location forced District 51 to place nearby Rocky Mountain Elementary, 3260 D 1/2 Road, on a shelter-in-place status.

Select bus routes from Palisade High School and Mount Garfield Middle School also were canceled to avoid the area, District 51 spokeswoman Christy McGee said.

Parents were able to pick their children up from Rocky Mountain Elementary with proper identification.

Parents were able to pick their children up at Palisade High School and Mount Garfield Middle School, as well.